THE PROBLEM WITH KARMA
I read an article about a recent survey authored by George Barna, conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University titled, The top 10 most seductive, unbiblical ideas embraced by American adults. Included in this list are some things I've seen before like all religious faiths are of equal value, there is no absolute truth and the idea that people are 'basically good'.
But one of the things that made the top ten was the belief in karma. It went on to say that nearly six out of ten adults believe in karma and 33% of people with a biblical worldview also embrace this concept.
"My Name is Earl". Earl Hickey was not a very nice person. One day at a Quickie mart, he stole $5.00 from someone and bought a lottery ticket with it. It ended up being a winning ticket worth $100,000. Elated, Earl ran out into the street and was promptly hit by a car. He woke up in the hospital, without the $100,000 dollars, and in a lot of pain with only his brother Randy and a hotel maid to care for him.
After getting out of the hospital, Earl has an epiphany. His life flashes before his eyes and he believes he knows why the car hit him-“karma”. Earl decides that since he’s been such a horrible guy in the past, that’s why he’s cursed with bad luck in the present. Earl makes a list of all the things he has done wrong, and in order to get Karma to smile on him he has to undo all the bad he has done. There's the premise of the show.
Technically “karma” is a bigger concept, but to most people, including Earl, it basically means “what goes around, comes around.” Karma seems like a sensible concept. If you do bad, bad will come back on you and vice versa. Karma seems to be a good concept for those who look like they're getting away with something. "That's okay, karma will catch up to them and then they'll get what's coming to them." But there's more to karma than meets the eye.
1) What is karma?
Karma is a Sanskrit word meaning action. Wikipedia states Karma is a concept of Hinduism which explains through a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions, creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a soul's reincarnated lives forming a cycle of rebirth. Karma is a concept also found in other Eastern religions like Buddhism.
This is from a writing on Reincarnation and the Transmigration of Souls: The teaching of karma indicates that karma is something negative, the acting is wrong. Karma is something you must be released from. Karma is the reason for the poverty of the beggar; the illness of the sick, and the hopeless situation of the oppressed. They reap what they have sown in past lives.
Karma is the reason for the prosperity of the rich, the good health of the robust, and the fortunate position of the oppressor. They are well off because they sowed well in the past. Thus everyone is well off or bad off as he or she deserves.
According to the Indian scriptures, their philosophy is that the good karma is a result of the fact that man avoids polluting himself, that he avoids desecrating objects and associating with people without caste. Good karma is a result of what you have avoided, rather than what you have actually done."
So, if I'm sick or poor it's because of karma. If I'm rich or in good health it's because of karma. But we have this cycle of reincarnation that introduces the concept of having to come back and live another life to see if I will get it right this time. What I come back as in the next life would be determined on how I lived the previous one. If I was good I will come back at a higher level. But if I wasn't so good, I may come back as an animal or something.
But God's word counters the concept of reincarnation. Heb. 9:27, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." No reincarnation, no coming back and trying again; we have one life to live-one chance to get it right-after that we will face God's judgment.
Hindus believe in 21 hells-which are temporary abodes where their bad karma (the evil one commits during a lifetime) is burned away.
Jainism (an offshoot of Hinduism) believes in 8.4 million hells where humans are punished for their sins. Those guilty of unpardonable sins are kept in a bottomless abyss forever. Jains reject belief in a creator god and seek release from endless reincarnation through a life of strict self-denial.
The title of Jina is given to those who are believed to have triumphed over all material existence. As all human activity accumulates karma, the force that perpetuates reincarnation, the only way to free one’s soul from the bondage of material existence is by reducing this activity through ascetic practice.
In addition Jainism places a special emphasis on ahimsa ('non-injury') to all living beings. The concern for life is extended to all creatures, even minute microbes that are not even visible. The Jain ideal takes extreme measures to avoid injuring all creatures.
Monks and nuns are sometimes seen with muslin cloths over their mouths to keep out flying insects, and they use small brooms to gently sweep away living creatures from their path, so as to not accidentally crush them.
The belief in karma causes people to take extremely meticulous measures to try to gain or maintain good karma. It seems to me that with these descriptions it would be impossible to ever get it right. That's a problem.
2) The problem with karma.
One of the problems with karma is that it isn't accurate. Karma runs on the principle that if you do good things then good will come back to you and if you do bad then bad will come back to you. If you're dealing with a hardship you're receiving the bad karma you deserve and vice versa.
If we go by the standard of karma we would conclude that Job must have done a lot of bad things in his life to get what happened to him. But he didn't. Job 1:1, "In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil."
According to this Job should've received nothing but blessings-good karma. And Job was blessed by God. He had a lot of kids, he had a lot of land and livestock. But then everything came crashing down in an instant and he lost it all. But his losses didn't come as a result of having a long list of bad deeds.
His three friends operated under karma theology. They spent their time trying to convince Job to repent so God could start blessing him again. One of them, Zophar, said this in
Job 11:13-17, “Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning."
It's not that his words here were altogether incorrect, they were just incorrect regarding Job. Later, God set Job's friends straight. That's the mistake that is made with a karma mentality-it leaves no room for another option. Under the karma belief if someone gets hurt they're getting paid back for something bad they did.
If someone is sick it's because they're being punished. Whatever difficulty someone is experiencing is a result of a poor choice they made earlier. In some cases this is true. Bad choices result in bad outcomes and our difficult situations can be a result of God's judgment but that's not true all the time.
John 9:1-3, "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."
The disciples were operating under the karma principle here. Not that they were familiar with karma but they were convinced that this man's blindness was the result of someone's sin. While it's true that sin brings negative results, Jesus makes it clear that it's wrong to draw an automatic conclusion when they see someone suffering.
With a karma mentality it would be so easy to ostracize those who were suffering. "I'm not helping you because you're getting what you deserve." We would look down on them as sinful; but we are good and righteous because we're not in that situation. That's prideful, judgmental and arrogant.
If we see a homeless person we assume their poor choices led them to here. In some cases, yes, but not always. With karma it's cut and dry-not doing so well-your bad behavior has earned you some bad karma. Living a good life with health and happiness-your good behavior has earned you some good karma. But that's not altogether accurate. Consider what happened with Paul in
Acts 28:1-6, "Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god."
I don't know what specific belief system these islanders practiced but it's interesting that it seems to be based on karma. Obviously the pendulum swung too far the other way when they saw that Paul didn't die, but Paul would've made it clear that he wasn't a god and explained why the karma principle they followed wasn't accurate.
After this incident Paul spent time in the chief official's place. After he healed his sick father word got around and the rest of the sick on the island came and were healed. I'm sure by the time Paul, Luke and the others left the island the islanders had gained a much better perspective.
One of the issues with believing in karma is that is opens the door for judgment and pride.
Luke 13:1-5, "Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
The people Jesus was talking to thought they were better than the ones who died those horrific deaths. Jesus is telling them to not to pass such erroneous judgment and don't think of yourself more highly than you ought. He sets the record straight that how or when a person dies is not indicative of their spiritual status or favor with God.
He told them that if they didn't repent they would perish too; such as it is with everyone-regardless of how good or bad their life is. We make a mistake if we think because a person lives a good long life it means they're a great Christian but if they die young they weren't. Again, in some cases that might be true but it's not an absolute.
Karma presents these things as absolutes and doesn't take into account any other alternative. It's cut and dry-do bad and bad will come to you. Do good and good will come to you. Therefore, another problem with karma is it doesn't leave any room for grace.
"At a comparative religions conference, the wise and scholarly were in a spirited debate about what is unique about Christianity. Someone suggested what set Christianity apart from other religions was the concept of incarnation, the idea that God took human form in Jesus. But someone quickly said, “Actually, other faiths believe God appears in human form.”
Another suggestion was offered: what about resurrection? The belief that death is not the final word; that the tomb was found empty. Someone slowly shook his head, "other religions have accounts of people returning from the dead".
Then, C.S. Lewis walked into the room, arm full of papers, a little early for his presentation. He sat down and took in the conversation, which had by now evolved into a fierce debate. Finally during a lull, he said, “what’s all this rumpus about?” Trying to explain themselves they said, “We’re debating what’s unique about Christianity.”
“Oh, that’s easy,” answered Lewis. “It’s grace.” The room fell silent. Lewis continued that Christianity uniquely claims God’s love comes free of charge, no strings attached. No other religion makes that claim.
After a moment someone commented that Lewis had a point, Buddhists, for example, follow an eight-fold path to enlightenment. It’s not a free ride. Hindus believe in karma, that your actions continually affect the way the world will treat you; that there is nothing that comes to you not set in motion by your actions.
Someone else observed the Jewish code of the law implies God has requirements for people to be acceptable to him and in Islam God is a God of Judgment not a God of love. At the end of the discussion everyone concluded Lewis had a good point. Only Christianity dares to proclaim God’s love is unconditional."
Philip Yancey wrote, "The notion of God's love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of Karma, the Jewish covenant, and the Muslim code of law—-each of these offer a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional."
Titus 3:3-7, "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
We were sinners in need of God's kindness, mercy, love and grace. God gave all this to us without us having to do something to earn it. Karma says, 'you get what you deserve'. Christianity says that Jesus took the punishment that we deserved and gave us what we don't deserve-grace.
All other religions are based on working your way to righteousness and eternal life; it depends on you. But the idea of grace-the free gift of God is what sets Christianity apart. By faith, not by works, lest anyone should boast.
Karma makes it possible for me to boast about earning my way. Karma's a problem because it deceives me into thinking if I work hard enough, I can eventually be good enough and earn my eternal reward. That's a problem because no matter how good I try to be it will never be good enough to please God.
Karma is not accurate, it fuels my pride, it leaves no room for grace and it's deceiving. Bad karma, good karma, whatever-it's all bad in my book.
